15 endangered species that are still on the menu: Sharks

15 endangered species that are still on the menu

Sharks

Dating back to a time before the dinosaurs, sharks have long been the top predators in the ocean food chain — until now, that is. At least a third of all shark species are threatened and over 100 million sharks are killed by fishermen every year, often with complete disregard to whether the species is endangered. Sharks are most commonly killed to make shark fin soup, popular in Chinese cuisine since the Ming Dynasty. Shark finning usually occurs at sea, so that only the fins need to be transported. Often sharks have their fins removed while still alive, and are thrown helplessly back into the ocean to sink and die.